UNESCO To Participate In Protection Of Cultural And Religious Heritage In Liberated Karabakh
UNESCO will participate in the protection of cultural and religious heritage in Karabakh, according to ‘Azerbaijan in Focus’, reporting Trend News. A UNESCO spokesperson stated: “We are currently working on organising a UNESCO expert assessment mission to the region. On 18 November, Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO, received the representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Organisation. The Director-General recalled the statements made by the UN Secretary-General, who had expressed his relief and welcomed the agreement on a total ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone.”
Anar Karimov, the First Deputy Minister of Culture of Azerbaijan and Acting Minister sent an appeal to the Director Generals of UNESCO and ISESCO regarding the results of the preliminary assessments of the damage to cultural heritage in the Azerbaijani territories recently liberated from Armenian occupation. He reiterated that the destruction of historical and cultural heritage is a gross violation of the requirements of the relevant international conventions and a crime against humanity.
He continued: “The evolution of the multicultural and tolerant society that historically existed in Azerbaijan remains one of the main directions of the state policy of the country. Today, representatives of different peoples and religions live peacefully side-by-side and contribute to the overall progress of Azerbaijan. Along with the large Muslim community, Christian and Jewish religious communities are also an active part of our society, and the monuments and places of worship belonging to these religions are protected, repaired, and restored by the Azerbaijani state.”
The results of the current monitoring in the liberated Azerbaijani territories will be regularly presented to the leaders of both UNESCO and ISESCO.